Atwood and his girlfriend were in on the joke together as they hosted a Thanksgiving dinner for Atwood’s relatives. Atwood asks his father to do a prayer, and the main course explodes during the blessing; it hits the ceiling and leaves turkey bits all over the room — and all over those who were ready to eat.

Atwood thought it was funny; his family did not — at least not immediately. He uploaded a video of the prank to YouTube on Thursday, and it already has surpassed 4 million views.

A behind-the-scenes video shows he used parts from a steering wheel (those that deploy an airbag) to produce the explosion. He said a butter dish shattered and one of the legs on the table cracked due to the force of the burst.